With the Winter Olympics wrapped up and Team USA bringing back the gold medals with them, the NHL is finally set to resume tonight. The Buffalo Sabres remain one of the teams that return to action, as they wish to return to the ice after 19 days without playing a game.
Their first opponents will be the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. The extended Olympic break provided ample preparation time as Buffalo looks to maintain its grip on the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot. The Sabres held five lengthy practices over the past week to shake off any rust from the layoff.
Head Coach Lindy Ruff Seems Confident Ahead of Return Game
Coach Lindy Ruff spent Monday’s session reviewing Buffalo’s 3-1 road victory over New Jersey from December 21. “We got back to some video and just showed some of our stuff from the last game playing New Jersey, some of the stuff we did well inside that game that allowed us to play a really good game,” Ruff said.
“Got back to the tendencies that we’ve been good at, and I think it reflected in practice.” That December victory marked the sixth win during Buffalo’s season-saving 10-game streak. The team has stabilized with an 11-4-2 record since that streak ended.
With close competition threatening their playoff berth, the Sabres remain vigilant. Jason Zucker emphasized the urgency required down the stretch with 25 games remaining in the regular season. The veteran understands every point matters as teams battle for postseason positioning.
“The mindset now is we’re already in the playoffs, in the sense that playoff games start when we play New Jersey,” Zucker said. “Every team has that same mindset and mentality coming into these last 25 games, and then it’s just a sprint here all the way out. We’re in playoff mode, and that’s gonna help us get there.”
Tage Thompson’s status remains uncertain after returning from Milano Cortina 2026, where he captured Olympic gold with Team USA. The 30-goal scorer has posted 15 points in his last 12 games before the break. Zach Benson will miss the game with an upper-body injury.
Josh Norris, Josh Dunne, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are all available to return from injured reserve after missing extended time. Buffalo also recalled 20-year-old Anton Wahlberg from Rochester. The former second-round pick has collected 25 points in his first professional season with the Amerks but has yet to make his NHL debut.
Meanwhile, New Jersey enters Wednesday desperate for points after falling 11 points out of playoff positions. The Devils have posted an 8-13-1 record during their recent slide following that December 21 loss to Buffalo.
Jack Hughes may miss the game for New Jersey after his absence from Tuesday’s practice. The golden goal scorer from Team USA’s Olympic victory could be unavailable alongside Swiss Olympians Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler.
Buffalo holds a five-point cushion over Columbus for the first wild-card spot as the final playoff push begins at the Prudential Center.
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